Update: Reward increased for missing 16-foot python

A 16-foot Burmese python named Banana, pictured, is said by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to have been stolen from Gator Country between April 22 and April 24. The albino snake has been a popular attraction with the local reptile business and has been photographed with thousands of children.
Photo provided by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office less

A 16-foot Burmese python named Banana, pictured, is said by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to have been stolen from Gator Country between April 22 and April 24. The albino snake has been a popular ... more

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A 16-foot Burmese python named Banana, pictured, is said by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to have been stolen from Gator Country between April 22 and April 24. The albino snake has been a popular attraction with the local reptile business and has been photographed with thousands of children.
Photo provided by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office less

A 16-foot Burmese python named Banana, pictured, is said by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to have been stolen from Gator Country between April 22 and April 24. The albino snake has been a popular ... more

Update: Reward increased for missing 16-foot python

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Update: An anonymous donor has added $500 to the reward for Banana's return, bringing the reward prize to $1,500 for anyone who leads officers to the missing python's location, said Deputy Rod Carroll with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

The donor, Carroll added, believes Banana is a location attraction to the Fannett area, and wants to support her safe return.

Previous story: The missing 12-year-old is tall, but average for her age. She weighs 140 pounds, but she's not overweight. A quiet sort, her gentle nature and love of the spotlight has made her hard to forget for those who know and love her.

But now her family, joined by investigators from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, is left heartbroken, scrambling for clues as they try and locate who, last weekend, crept into her 10-by-12 "bedroom" and snatched her.

"We're just shocked," said family member Gary Saurage. "She's just so friendly. Who would do this? Who would want a 16-foot animal?"

Banana, a main attraction at Beaumont's Gator Country for more than three years, was stolen from the park sometime between the evening of April 22 and the morning of April 24 while the park was closed, said Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Rod Carroll.

Banana's cousin, an almost identical 12-foot python named Skittles, was left unharmed in their shared cage.

Banana is the largest Burmese python in the state, Saurage said. That has made Banana - and her disappearance - a matter of national interest.

Along with Big Al, the 13-foot alligator who also is one of the largest in the state, Banana has been seen by more than 30,000 visitors since she joined the family three years ago, Saurage said. She's also been featured on multiple reality television shows, including CMT's "Gator 911," which documented life at the Beaumont-area wildlife park for one season. She's worth $5,000.

"She's one of everybody's favorites," said Saurage, co-owner of Gator Country. "Whether it's an adult or a small child that sits and holds her - she's just friendly."

And that is why park personnel and law enforcement both are more worried about the snake than those who took her.

"She's pretty docile, not

aggressive," Carroll said. "The danger is to the snake, not the general public."

Banana was raised in captivity, Carroll said, and she needs a climate-controlled environment. She doesn't do well in the cold, he added.

He suspects the person or people who took her is someone who wanted to show Banana off to their friends. They had access to all of the snakes, Carroll said, but only took Banana.

Banana is approximately 16 feet long, yellow and has bluish-clear eyes. Information about the whereabouts of the albino python should be reported to Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS (8477).